Synthetic Hearts
by JenniAngel.xx
Summary: Meet Roze, a 17 year old girl that has been always shunned by her father, and with a memory that only extends to when she was 11yrs old. With no way back, she must learn to survive in the HxH and also find out what happened 8yrs ago. HisokaxOC
1. One's Corrupted Soul

Synthetic Hearts 1~ One's Corrupted Soul

Synthetic Hearts

Chapter 1~

One's Corrupted Soul

Firstly, A Disclaimer~

This story was taken from Hunter x Hunter using their characters, storyline etc. However, I do not own any of these factors and they are copyrighted by their specific owners. I do copyright Roze, an OC made by me.

Synthetic Hearts is derived from Synthetic Stars, copyrighted by my friend Migure.

* * *

A Prologue~

Once upon a time, there was a city that had been forsaken by God. It was torn off the maps, wiped from official records and forgotten, in the hopes that it would disappear from the face of this earth. The people who resided there, isolated from the rest of humanity, began to find hate, loathing and despair in their souls. They mutated, both physically and mentally, until they were beyond recognition; a heartless machine driven by their own black souls. There was no one who bothered to acknowledge their existence, no one who mentioned their name. The people became outcasts, the humans who unofficially existed from Meteor City.

* * *

Roze was hiding. Her hand, desperately trying to cut off the blood flowing down her arm, was drenched with it and sweat. The thick, red liquid seeped through invisible gaps between her fingers, dripping unforgivably on the white carpet. She would be punished for the mess. Her legs, tired from squatting in the cramped space, lifted her body up reluctantly as Roze tiptoed down the corridor. A mirror caught her attention. Pausing, Roze faced herself in the glass. The person in the mirror was a beast. With a black mass of hair piled on her head, made untameable with countless knots; a pair of bloodshot rose coloured eyes and a seemingly permanent frown; the beauty from the past could not be distinguished. Roze raised her arm slowly, wincing as her twin replicated her actions, and her skin was shown in relief. Bruises, on top of bruises, half healed cuts covered with even more recent ones, her arm could be an alien part, if the rest of the seventeen year old body had not had the same gruesome appearance. It was hard not to pity herself after seeing her ruined body in the mirror. Her twin agreed, an unwanted tear seeping out of her red eye. Roze sighed and continued moving down, only to stop again in front of a woman's portrait. The carpet here was slightly dented from having stood here countless times. Roze looked at the portrait's face. Immediately, a sense of longing aroused within her. She couldn't help but believe that she had once held a close relationship with this woman. Roze's father refused to tell her anything about the person, and the long, half-healed scar on her face was a reminder not to mention her again. True, her dad was the owner of the biggest stockholding company in Japan, but it was also a fact that he became an indescribable monster when he was at home in the Himura Mansion. Whether it was an object or a person, everything in his path would never look the same anymore. Roze felt like she was stepping on the eggshells between life and death.

Her room was located in the servant's headquarters. It was a dark, damp place, with cheap wallpaper and chipped furniture. Her bed looked more like a hospital cot than one that was used in the Himura Mansion. However, Roze did not mind this. For her, Roze's most valued treasured lied here. A small unnoticed trapdoor, more suitable for a large dog than a human, sat under thin layers of worn carpets. This was her gateway between heaven and hell, capture and freedom. It was the secret to a tunnel that led to the rare fresh air outside the hellhole of her father's estate, long ago used by escape artists. There was another trapdoor in the corner of her room but it was virtually glued to the henges. Roze was in one of her moods again and this time, she wished for her to not exist in this life, but another one. Ignoring the blood that was still coursing down her arm, but more slowly now, she decided to continue her efforts on opening the trapdoor. After all, there wasn't much to do except disappear in this hellhole. Not expecting anything to happen, Roze pulled half hearted on the handle, only to have it suddenly wrench open with a 'boom'.

'Wahhh!'

Roze, unprepared for the opening door and at a loss for co-ordination, stumbled at the edge of the black hole. She waved her arms, frantically trying to balance herself in an almost anime-like way before falling, face-first into the hole.

* * *

Roze had been mentally preparing herself for a faceplant or a really hard landing on her bottom. However, with a sudden jerk, she was suspended in the air by some unseen force. If someone had been walking by, they would have seen a black-haired beast that was strung comically in the air with SHOCK written across its face. Then, if they had stayed long enough they would have watched the…thing jump up and down in mid air like it was trying to touch the ground again.

Roze was freaking out. The room she was in had no boundaries. It was white but not blinding white. In fact, it was almost purifying, with a gentle and forgiving glow. Not that it was important right now. She was still suspended in thin air and so far, desperate attempts to get back down were failing miserably. As she was biting the area surrounding her arms and legs, hoping to catch an invisible rope and start gnawing at it, the air next to her suddenly warped. Roze screamed, frozen mid-bite to watch a figure slowly step through a black hole and-

'Hi, my name is World. I am now your official advisor in filing a placement for a new life. How may I help- ehh, what are you doing?'

Roze blushed slowly unfroze herself. She had forgotten that she had been biting at possible invisible ropes. I mean it was natural to go insane after seeing a guy teleport from god-knows-where and suddenly offer to give her another shot in a new life. However, this was her chance to escape from her father.

'Umm, nothing. Can you let me down now?- ow,' Roze picked herself up from the heap on the ground, 'Okay, so you mean it? When you told me that I could start a new life?'

World nodded, 'Of course. Would you like to select a world now?'

Roze, not totally trusting the 'World' guy, thought it was a prank-act. I mean, it's technically impossible to teleport from one dimension to another. No one has even discovered how to yet! She decided to clarify things.

'Um, yeah, after I ask you a few questions. Firstly, what will happen if I refuse to start a new life?'

The answer was prompt.

'You will cease to exist from any dimension. After all, you have died in reality.'

World didn't wait for her shocked gasp.

'Rose, if you had not been teleported here by my superiors, you would have hit your head in the bottom of the hole you fell in and fallen into a concussion. The angle of your fall should have shut down your brain forever.'

Roze couldn't believe it. She had literally killed herself. She forced out the next question through her mouth, which opened and closed like a goldfish.

'O-okay. So my only choice is to be sent to another dimension,' she took in World's confident nod, 'Alright, I'll choose now then.

World smiled and panned the air with his hand. Roze could only gape in amazement as sparks shot out of his hand and whirled, lightning-fast. In a poof, a dusty brown book appeared.

'In this book, I have placed all of the available worlds that you can choose. Do not worry about fitting in; I will add a new collection of memories into your brain. You might feel a bit muddle for a month or so, but after that, you'll remember everything properly. And when I mean everything, I mean even the memories you lost eight years ago.'

Roze could only stare at a patch of floor near her feet. She had suspected that she had lost her some of her memories before. The portrait hanging in the corridor was proof of that.

World continued on, 'Now, please select a world.'

The book floated towards her and slowly drifted to a stop in front of her chest. Hesitating slightly, she touched the book lightly with a finger, only to have it suddenly flip open. Her finger jerked back, a gut-instinct, before relaxing and returning to the book. Roze flipped through some pages, driven by curiosity, before getting impatient by the sheer quantity of worlds on each page. There were roughly 150 worlds on each page, and if that multiplied by 500, it'll equal 75000 worlds. That was only halfway down the book. Roze closed her eyes and pointed randomly. Her finger had landed on a colourful looking world with squarish hieroglyphs.

'That one?' World confirmed.

Roze shrugged and nodded.

'That one's fine.'

World shrugged, mimicking her actions and waved his hand around complicatedly; the book disappeared with a shimmer of sparks. The world you've chosen requires skill to survive in, and therefore (he waved his hands again) you'll need this memory. With that, he pointed at Roze's head. She waited, waiting for some kind of memory burst thingy, disappointed when nothing happened. Anticlimactic, much?

World laughed, 'they won't work until you've arrived at your new world. Now I'll just send you off…oh, wait-'

He pointed once more at Roze.

'We wouldn't want you scaring the residents, would we?'

In a flash of smoke, Roze didn't have time to shriek before she could see again. She looked down automatically and gasped in surprise and delight. Her skin, once shamefully battered, was now pale and soft. Her hair swished against her back, glossy black with streaks of rose. Roze carefully felt the strands; for once, it was tameable. Her facial features (with no red eyes), rid of the permanent scowl, could finally be seen from under her side-swept fringe. Roze, unused to having herself look presentable in a year or so, could hardly contain her excitement at wearing new clothes. A black minidress, strapless with a heart bodice, hung from her frame, hugging her curves. It was artfully twisted to be tied up in a reddish-pink rose on the top. Roze decided, that even though World was nice enough to provide her with clothes, he was a bit perverted. She sweatdropped and looked at her feet, clad in high-heeled, black knee-high boots. They were laced up with white ribbons.

Roze could feel a smug radiating from World's face.

'Doesn't that look better? Anyways, now I'll send you off.'

There was a sucking feeling from within her and suddenly she was falling but not landing on a hard surface. Roze could hardly hear his voice now as it softly spoke, almost undistinguishable.

'Good luck, and welcome to the world of Hunter x Hunter.'


	2. A New Beginning

Synthetic Hearts

Chapter 2~

A New Beginning

It was oddly cliché, when she gotten used to the fact that she was falling/floating in the air. The tunnel was a dark blue, almost black with pin-points of lights streaming through; Roze though it was the night sky at first. It looked not unlike the time-warp tunnels in science-fiction movies. After what seemed to be maybe days or a few minutes (she wasn't sure as time seemed to pass by without meaning), a particular small light became more distinguished than the rest. It slowly grew bigger and bigger until it was too bright to look at, even if you squinted. She cringed, and shielded her eyes with her arm just as it enveloped her figure…

* * *

Roze had suddenly jerked to a stop, fixated in thin air, with the aquamarine sky behind her. Possibly seventy or so metres above the ground. And still in the arm-held-in-front-of-face position. As realization dawned upon her, Roze barely had time for her mouth to form a small 'O' of surprise as she plummeted down. With a big impact.

'Ouch!'

Roze finally understood what it meant when people 'heard the fall before they felt it'. She, having heard the 'thump!' as she connected with the ground, was currently in an incredibly awkward and excruciatingly painful position. This time, there had been no [possibly existing] invisible strings to stop her fall. This time, there had been nothing to prevent her from the doomed faceplant. Roze groaned, or tried to anyway, which was rather complicated to do when your face is stuck to the ground…perhaps permanently. Roze slowly levered to a kneeling position, while tenderly feeling the sore part of her nose. This was definitely going to leave a bruise. Right after World had finally fixed her appearance too! She looked around while rubbing her sore gently for comfort, noting the barren space of land that stretched for kilometres. She could, however, see a small city (or maybe a town?) in the distance. In the distance. Which was very, very far away. Roze sighed. Running had never been her strong point, and wearing high heeled boots only increased the difficulty of the task. She had been confined in the Himura Mansion for her whole lifetime, and every passing year was spent lying in her bed, facing the bleak wall in front of her. Roze was slim, but very unfit indeed. Before she could start complaining though, the air crackled in the space ahead of her and she let out a small shriek as World's hologram appeared. It was a very large picture of his face that seemed to fill her vision entirely. Did I mention he was ugly? Roze wasn't that superficial though, she had been called the same thing forever. It was just that she hadn't forgiven him for the skimpy clothes.

The hologram shook with a bit of static before it spoke.

'Hello Roze. Welcome to the world of Hunter x Hunter! I'm here because I accidently forgot to give you your bag of necessities in order to fit in. Here you go! Ah, and I need to activate your second memory before I leave for the next patient. Enjoy your new life…!'

Roze swore she heard him say 'and please don't die' but before she could confirm, her vision was completely black.

* * *

They say that everyone has darkness in their hearts. It's a place of misfortune, evil deeds, and murder. And if, they recited, this darkness was a place, everything would be black. The moon, the stars, and peoples' hopes. Nothing is pure, not even the cleanest soul. Everything, not even the sky, had a death. They would eventually decay and sink into the soil to be consumed. From the black earth, a single black rose bloomed. It was cursed as the 'Kuroroze'; the flower born from people's darkened hearts.

* * *

The girl slowly opened her eyes, allowing slivers of light to pierce her vision before shutting them tight again. She repeated this process until she finally got used to the brightness, and opened her eyes fully. Two pinkish-red eyes bore into the morning sky. She did not move though, instead taking her time to recollect her hazy memories.

_I am Roze? Roze Himura?_

The girl did not think this as a statement. It was a question, as she was not sure. Who was she, and what was her name? She was alarmed when another voice answered; a stronger sound then the previous.

_No, you are not. You are Kuroroze, the flower with no beginning and no end. You are the cursed flower of darkness._

Ahhh…, she thought, I so am Kuroroze. That is I, the cursed flower. She didn't seem to be able to hear as the weaker voice continued to insist that she was Roze from the world of 'humans'. Kuroroze only had ears for this powerful voice alone.

The girl, now christened Kuroroze, sat up. She was in no haste; she had no goals to reach. Yet. The voice in her head was her guidance. It would tell her what to do. The weaker voice had already left, but Kuroroze was not aware of that.

_You must reach the city. Sprint._

Kuroroze obeyed immediately. She grabbed her bag, dug her heel into the ground and shot off. Her speed velocity was great enough to leave a dent in the ground where her high heel was. A few trees, unfortunate enough to be growing too close, had their leaves blasted off as she sped past. The city loomed closer every second and she touched the outskirts within five minutes. Having reached her destination, she paused again. The voice didn't hesitate.

_Aim for the Hunter x Hunter Exam. Your inscription card should be in your bag. The location is at a restaurant. Ask the cook for 'steak', slowly cooked and rare._

The girl reached into her black leather bag and flourished a card with the HxH symbols ornamented on it. It seemed that World had already signed it for her. As Kuroroze continued to inspect the card, a passerby strolled passed her. He stopped after walking a few steps ahead and decided to look back; the girl seemed to look pretty cute. However, by the time he had turned his head, there was no one behind him, only a small divot left in the path. Shaking his head slightly, the guy turned back and continued walking, albeit unsteadily. Perhaps it was a trick of the sunlight.

* * *

The elevator played a cheerful, random tune as it continued to drop down to the bottom. There was steak on the table but she did not bother to eat it; she was not hungry. When the lift finally hit the bottom, she walked out just began to open and surveyed the immense crowd gathered. Something nudged her thigh and she looked down. A chubby looking guy, clutching a badge-filled basket waved a badge at her. She took it and looked at the bold-print numbers on it. 367. So many people were here. Her inner voice told her that none of the examinees were strong, except for two.

_There is one particular strong nen user. Search him using en. You should be able to sense his aura straight away._

Kuroroze activated her en, spreading her aura into the air. At once, she hit a nen aura not unlike a brick wall. The power surging from it felt like it was slowly crushing her. She immediately began to walk towards it when common sense should have made her dodge in the opposite direction. As she was making her way through a collection of boxers, a piercing scream made everyone's head snap towards the sound. From far away, it looked like a domino effect. An armless man kneeled on the ground, crying nonsense as his arms gushed out streams of blood. He was beyond sanity. A blue-haired man, dressed like a clown, stood next to the man's amputated arms; his nen was the one she had been searching for. Even as she stood behind most of the crowd who were eying him warily, she could feel his completely black aura seep into her. Kuroroze was not shaken at this; her aura matched his. In the background, a square-nosed man was gossiping to a group of kids and an old man, probably about the clown. She concentrated her ears on their conversation, and managed to hear about the clown-like man. Kuroroze carefully recorded his name in her memory. She softly whispered it through her full cherub lips, curious about the ups and downs of the word when she spoke it.

'…so this is Hisoka.'


	3. Author's Note An Update

Synthetic Hearts

Author's Note

A Change of Project Status

Jenni: Should we tell them?

Tsuki: I think we should.

Jenni: Well, here goes nothing!

Hello, wonderful readers and reviewers~

Just a short but important notice for all of you, Synthetic Hearts has become a collaboration project (the first one in my short career X3). This fanfiction will now be co-planned and co-written with xXxTsuki (see my profile if you want to read her stories – there is a link). Please share your support and continue to be the beautiful people who are always adding a helpful review. Domo arigato gozaimasu~

Synthetic Hearts is also changing from OCxHisoka to OCxRozexHisoka. Please welcome Jazz Umine! He is the latest creation of Tsuki and please enjoy his presence in the story!

And let's add a few teasers in, Tsuki and Jenni are devilish like that ~

'"Another one?" She murmured this under her breath, eyes scanning her well-forested surroundings. Something was telling her to be careful and she was well inclined to do so.'

'"Ah, you look shocked. But for taking my badge, I need something equivalent in exchange, you know."

'When he woke up, there was no trace of her anymore. There was nothing, no sign of her presence…nothing except for a bloody rose saturated with evidence of her lying forlorn beside him.'

'"She's not really that fun … but why not keep playing? I like all games, after all."'

Thank you! Please look forward to the material that will be submitted In future! Chapter 3 is well under way!

xx. Jenniangel and Tsuki


	4. Frozen Wind

Synthetic Hearts

Chapter 3~

Frozen Wind

_What do you call a person?_

_Who trusts nobody,_

_Loves nobody,_

_And only wishes,_

_To kill somebody?_

_

* * *

_

Jazz didn't like towns. He last time he was in one, half of his family was reduced to dust. But he was mostly over. A year of mourning was enough. All he needed to do now was to destroy the Spiders. How much he desired that moment … The black-haired 18-year-old stopped in front of a restaurant. His blue eyes scanned it up and down as he murmured to himself, "So it's this trashy-looking place."

The next few moments were a blur. Jazz simply didn't pay any attention to any of the details. He even didn't concentrate on what he said ("steak, cooked slowly, rare"). He was just thinking about the test. He was curious – what was it going to be like? Would it be difficult? Was there the possibility of him failing? _Who knew?_ There was a cocky smirk on his face as he thought those two words.

_Am I one of the last?_ "Welcome the king, little insects."

A few people nearby turned, placing hostile looks on him. Jazz just smirked at them. They'd be terrified out of their wits later. He'd make sure of that. In the meantime, he strolled deeper into the crowd, gloves hands deep in his pockets. He was handed a badge and he studied it idly as he pinned it on his scarf.

* * *

Jazz was not one to listen. At least, he didn't pay close attention to what he was being announced. Sure, he listened, but the larger section of his concentration was wandering around the area, in search of those with excellent nen presence. He had zeroed in on two targets within moments. The first one was an interesting-looking guy. Dressed like a clown. The corners of his mouth tilted upwards just a fraction into a subtle grin; _well he'd be easy to spot in a crowd but not really my type._ Then he was roving once more … and he found Kuroroze. "Ah." He murmured to himself as he studied her.

The nen was a clear indication of her strength, but he couldn't understand why she was just letting it flow out into the open. He stood there, wasting valuable brainpower and time thinking it over.

Then he blinked. People were running. _Ah … so it's already begun?_ Already, he was smiling in an oddly serene way. He began to run – he didn't care about how long they'd have to do it for, he was trained, prepared for that kind of thing. _But just running? … Boring._ He made sure to linger near the front this time, and near Kuroroze. At the very least, it was easy to keep track of that clown and the girl.

To be honest, the clown wasn't really that interesting. Sure, he was powerful, nobody on the face of the earth would be able to deny it – but he wasn't _beautiful_. The thing was, Jazz was one to seek out beautiful prey. He liked playing with the pretty ones. So naturally, he was more interested in Kuroroze. She had a nice face and the skimpy dress that showed off her legs just made her so much more attractive. In essence, Jazz was not a sadistic perv. He was just a person with a hellish history and was now toying with this illusion called "love".

* * *

And finally, they entered the swamp. There was a very brief pause, but soon enough, they were running once more. Several losses, an attack. So maybe the clown was making himself stand out, but Jazz didn't care. He was just going to watch Kuroroze. But to be honest, she was already boring him. She wasn't freaking _doing _anything.

He finally decided to focus a little more on the exam - Jazz could clearly see that this was much more dangerous terrain. Deeper in, he watched as many more contestants were lost. And finally, it appeared to be his turn. _Appeared_.

Several contestants had gathered – unsurprisingly, many seemed to be the ones who had been nearby when he first entered. "Oh, here to proclaim your eternal love for me?" God, he really needed to tone down his obnoxious personality a bit.

They all glowered at him, providing a mixture of primitive, angry answers.

Jazz found that there wasn't any point in toying with them. They just weren't fun. His "fun" expression that had been on his features for much of the day was finally melting. His eyes that used to contain a playful spark darkened and grew colder as they fixed onto his prey. He withdrew his hands from his pockets and drew the kodachi that was always with him. It had no guard, and the metal was a brilliant sky-blue.

One of them smirked, "You intend to fight us with that?"

Jazz returned the insult with a cold smirk that could match the devil's. "Yup. And guess what? You've already lost." He wasn't wrong there either. The next moment, their mutilated bodies were lying on the ground, the blood slowly spreading and staining the grass red. Their bodies had been destroyed – tossed onto the ground as though a butcher had just finished slicing up meat. Later, one would come to pass by and wonder how the perfect cuts were accomplished.

Jazz sheathed his sword and started walking, disappearing into the trees, all the time making sure to keep out of the blood. He liked staying clean and getting to places on time.

* * *

To be honest, Jazz wasn't really sure of why he was at the hunter exam at all. All he really wanted to do was destroy the organisation that reduced much of his family to dust. There wasn't any type of law stopping him from obtaining that goal either. And yet, here he was taking the hunter exam, knowing full well that he didn't need to and at the same time, wanting to finish. _But then again, _he mused; _the old fart that also trained Sora-kun said that it was a good idea. Plus, he was insisting that I go this year as well. _He was sprinting through the trees, making sure to keep up with the main group as well as keeping a distance as he thought. _I guess it wouldn't matter if I quit halfway …_ True, he was getting distracted from the task at hand, but why did that matter to him? There were more important things to think about. Like exactly how he would extract his revenge …

* * *

"_Jazz!"_

_He opened his eyes once then, shut them. The sunlight pouring out of the windows were blinding. "Sora-kun, don't pull open all the curtains-"_

"_Sunlight is good for you! That's why all the plants above the land are nice and green and the ones in the ocean are droopy." She turned around, smiling sweetly, "Isn't it best to stay away from becoming seaweed?"_

_Jazz knew full well that she was addressing his wavy black hair and blue eyes. "You're like me though," he grinned as he tossed the blanket away and sat up straighter, "Blue eyes, black hair."_

_She laughed as she sank into the foot of his bed, "This seaweed plant wants to become a tree." _

_Jazz hated it. How everything she said seemed to contain meaning – how commanding she could be – how beautiful she was. It was like her sole purpose for being placed on the earth was to enchant him. And the thing was – he was actually fine with it, it was just that his status within the family refused him that privilege._

_Sora was talking again, "Jazz, tell me a way to escape from Father again."_

_Jazz blinked, the last time she had questioned him about the "escape routes" in the mansion was when she was trying to avoid the third marriage interview that year. "Another one?"_

_She glanced in his direction before turning back to stare at her hands. "Yeah. He's not giving up."_

"_Don't worry; he can't do anything without your consent." _

_Sora rolled her eyes, "As if. The only reason nothing's been decided is that the other end keeps getting a bad impression of me." _

_Jazz smirked, "Then keep it up."_

_Sora sighed, "I don't know if it'll keep working, though."_

_He couldn't see the point in her thinking. "Look, why are you thinking into the future? Just focus on what's in front of you!"_

_She shook her head, short hair swinging around her chin, "The things in front of you have a tendency to lead to the future." There, she placed her sky-blue gaze on Jazz, "You've got loads to learn."_

_Jazz stared at her. "Why are you talking like we haven't got much longer to talk?"_

_Sora turned away, and pointed out the window, "Because we actually don't."_

_The second afterwards, the glass exploded inwards. The shards were thrown across the floor, curtains torn and flapping helplessly in the wind. Several shards had flown past Jazz's face, leaving several long gashes. "Shi-"_

_His arm was yanked away, followed by the rest of his body. Sora was dragging him out of the room; she herself had suffered several cuts. They slammed the door behind them as they ran, Sora scolding him along the way, "Don't swear."_

_Jazz was freaking out. "Why are you telling me not to swear? Shouldn't we be freaking out and stuff?"_

_And oddly enough, he heard her reply with a laugh, "Then why aren't you?"_

_Back then,_

_Before you no longer breathed,_

_Before you closed your eyes forever,_

_Before you stopped hearing,_

_Why didn't I say,_

_I love you?

* * *

_

~xXxTsuki: We decided to do alternating chapters, as it is easier to write (unless it's an important chapter). From now on (yeah, a lot of changes; please bear with them ^^"), I will write a chapter and then J.A will. TY!


	5. Cooking Games

Synthetic Hearts

Chapter 4~

Cooking Games

_Lacrimosa dies illa_

_Qua resurget ex favilla_

_Judicandus homo reus._

_Huic ergo parce, Deus:_

_Pie Jesu Domine._

_.x._

_That sorrowful day, on which will arise,_

_ From the burning coals Man accused to be judged._

_ Therefore, O God, do Thou spare him._

_ Faithful Lord Jesus Man accused to be judged,_

_ Therefore, O God, do Thou spare him._

~ Lacrimosa, Mozart's Requiem

_

* * *

_

Feeling a pair of sharp eyes bore into her back for the fiftieth time, Kuroroze looked over her shoulder once again only to see a black-haired man looking pointedly in the opposite direction. Scowling, she turned her head back. It was starting to annoy her; this aimless little game. Jazz would stare at her intently. Kuroroze would turn around. He would look away.

Was he (Kuroroze struggled to find words to describe him)…_a pervert!_

She gritted her teeth, one hand itching to activate the black, studded bracelet on her right wrist. He was starting to get on Kuroroze's nerves, and people who got on Kuroroze's nerves tended to end up wiped off the Earth's surface. However, she was not so shallow to kill just anyone; Kuroroze only killed specificpeople. People with noble, rich yet corrupted blood flowing through their veins. She did not know why she chose that particular category of people, but it was natural to her, like breathing.

* * *

_Had the citizens had not been so greedy, cruel, then this history may not have been recorded. Maybe if they had opened their eyes properly and saw through their love of money, then this disaster would not have occurred. But they were so blinded by their glutton that they refused to listen to reason. And therefore, their lives were taken by God's rose._

_

* * *

_

Kuroroze calmed herself, concentrating on the current task and put on a burst of speed, quickly moving away from Jazz. The examiner was finally leading the group out of Numelle's Marsh. Turning back, she was slightly sorry to see that she could put only a little distance between him and her. Kuroroze was already at the front of the weary crowd of examinees and she would surely be disqualified if she shot ahead of the leader.

Letting out a barely noticeable sigh, she tried to ignore him for the rest of the first test.

* * *

'404 examinees; 256 passed.'

Ignoring the excited, nonsensical chatter of the remaining crowd in front of her, Kuroroze looked expectantly at the large double door ahead of her, which was emitting loud, coarse grumbles. A message had informed them that the test would commence at midday. Perhaps, the second test would be more interesting. This year's Hunter Exam had brought a new batch of examinees, and a total of 148 had passed the first test. This amount was probably the largest in the whole Hunter Exam's history. Logically, either the people had gotten stronger, or the Hunter Association was slacking. She surveyed the crowd; their weary postures showed that they had been tired by an insignificant test of endurance! Kuroroze could only believe in the latter.

* * *

_There was once a magnificent city. The people who lived in it were rich and prosperous. They thought themselves to be the children of the Lord. They thought themselves immortal. And so that dark thought embodied itself into their minds; a permanent change. They were too proud, too unthoughtful. The citizens had darkened hearts._

_

* * *

_

With a screeching creak and a loud boom, the doors finally swung open. The second test had started. Kuroroze peeked through a gap in the crowd and immediately spotted the two examiners. It wasn't hard. One of them was roughly the size of a truck. The other was wearing clothing even more scandalous than hers. But even though the difference in height was a huge stretch, Kuroroze noted that the powerful, immense aura came from the skimpily-dressed woman, not the giant Buhara. It was still considerably weaker than hers, though.

The woman, Menchi, began a short introduction, much to the distaste of Kuroroze.

'The theme of the second trial will be cooking! We are both fine gourmet cooks! Thus, your mission is to satisfy our appetites by cooking a meal.'

Kuroroze did a double-take. Cooking! What kind of rubbish was that? Murder, torture, weapon assessment; she could do any of those with her hands tied behind her back and eyes closed. But, cooking! She was an assassin of the highest skill, not a…pathetic chef. Her aura fluctuated with disbelief. She noticed a few examinees slyly shuffle away from her, their faces wary as they felt the atmosphere grow heavier.

* * *

Kuroroze's memories were frustrated. As she was still not completely used to this new body, grasping control of all its movements had been difficult. Abnormally so. Even now, Kuroroze did not know how cease the waterfall of nen gushing out of her; she was attracting too much attention. And what made it even more difficult were Roze's memories; how could something so weak still have the power to remain here, in the presence of the Kuroroze? Already, she had tried to push the memories out, to lock them in a forgotten box, to trap them behind a wall but every time she tried, the memories would flow stubbornly back. Kuroroze knew that they were weak, albeit obstinate. Roze's memories did not have enough strength to fight her, the most they could do were to never disappear. It was so annoying though, the body did not belong to Kuroroze only; its previous owner would seize any moment she weakened to get her body back. _Too bad_, she told the memories, _you're grasping at thin air._

_

* * *

_

_They say that on the hallowed grounds beside the city, a single rose bloomed only once every fifty years. It was named 'God's rose', as people wondered how the flower could survive the unforgiving soil and climate. For only one day, that did not abide a particular pattern, its pure white petals will open. Seeing that rose was a sign of great luck. The flower was not known by many; countless would come if the secret was let out. Instead, it was told by a few mothers to their children as a story tale before bed. Very few believed it. Very few checked. One day, as a mother was telling it to her young daughter to make her smile, a greedy nobleman overheard. Soon, the whole city knew._ _No one believed in the tale, but they were bored. The sacred ground was right next to their city. Because they were so rich, they ordered hundreds of men to wait for the rose. One look at the heavy reward was enough to persuade the simple-minded men. The instruction was to pluck the rose the minute it bloomed and deliver it to the rightful owner. In this case, whoever paid for the most it._

_

* * *

_

The woman continued to talk, although she, too, glanced at Kuroroze. Somewhere in between, the man started talking.

'For me, it will be…roast pork! That's what I like best. I don't care what type of pork it is, as long as you chase it in the Biska Woods. Okay, let the second round begin!'

Immediately, the crowd of people pivoted and stampeded off into the woods surrounding them. Jazz met her eye briefly - sky-blue against rose - as he casually moved – almost skipped - in the same direction. He didn't look back. And Kuroroze couldn't help noticing that his face still bore a conceited smirk.

She did not regard chasing pigs of any importance. What kind of lowly being would go around killing pigs to eat when you could buy them at a market? Scowling at the examiners, she turned her back to them and stalked off slowly into the woods.

* * *

It did not take long for a pig to charge at her; she had only taken a few steps into the woods. Only this pig wasn't one of those that you saw on a farm, it was the size of an elephant. Not that it made much difference to her. Kuroroze crouched and launched herself off the ground, using the momentum to drive herself high above the pig's head. Before it could realise that she had vanished, she lifted her leg in a high-kick and landed squarely on the pig's head; the gravity aided her into cracking the pig's skull. Kuroroze flipped off the pig's head and surveyed the damage. The animal was dead. How pathetic. One would not even need a weapon to kill one. The more complicated test was actually how to get it back to the examiners.

* * *

_It was the end of winter when the rose finally bloomed. The end of the fifty year wait. And on that fateful day, two children were walking through the sacred grounds. They were poor, but happy. The parents had asked for the children to pray for more prosperity and ensure their happiness. As they ventured towards the shrine in the heart of the grounds, the younger of the two noticed a flash of white near them. They decided to investigate. A white rose was growing in the dense, unfertile soil. Although most flowers could not survive the hard, cold ground, this rose was perfect. The children were delighted. They were content enough to just sit there and admire its perfection. Little did they know that they were staring at God's precious flower._

_

* * *

_

An idea had formed in her head when she heard an angry remark slice the air.

'That's my pig, you cocky bastard! Hand it back over or I'll have to slice off that hand of yours!'

Kuroroze turned slowly around, trying to pinpoint the location of the voice. When she saw the two people, not far away from her, she at once regretted looking. It was that pervert guy, again.

He was standing lazily, effortlessly spinning a humongous pig in the air like a pizza while a tall, muscular man threw insults at him.

'I said, give me that pig, you son of a bitch!'

Jazz simply smirked at him.

'Why should I?'

He turned around and began to stroll off, still twirling the dead pig. He ignored the stammering man even when he drew out a spear and prepared to skewer him with it.

'You'll regret-'

Jazz didn't even glance back as he drew his kodachi out a fraction, in that instant, a thin bloody line split his face into half. It was sheathed a split-second later.

* * *

_A group of hired men stood on the edges of the sacred ground. They saw two children gazing at the flower and hesitated. However, a signal from the boss had the whole crowd running. They didn't look back, didn't spare a sidewards glance as they knocked over the children. They were stupid, foolish. They were so intent with their own thoughts that they didn't realise until they looked down that they had crushed the flower into pieces. There had only been one thought in those people's minds. Money._

_

* * *

_

Kuroroze settled the dead pig in the fire and watched as it cooked; its skin turned a roasted brown. Looking back into the clearing, she could still see the rumpled line of dirt that was the only reminder of her pig as it dug across the ground, driven by the force of her kick. Although she had solved her previous problem of getting the pig back to the examiners, now she had to work out how to give it to the giant without touching it with her hands. Would it be rude to give the beast pork that just had been kicked in the butt by her?

* * *

Jazz was feeling pretty good. The pig was dead. The pig was getting roasted. He still had ages to finish this test. Now was the perfect time for random thoughts. _Only, I have none. That girl is boring as. I can't even be arsed finding the ugly clown. _He turned his head up toward the sky, letting the conceited expression slip from his features. _Hey, Sora-kun. Why don't you talk to me then?_ As expected, he got no answer. _Everything else here is ugly. You're the only beautiful one._ And for a moment, he let his mind slip into the sanctuary of his memories and imagined Sora answering.

"Falling in love is too much trouble, thank you very much."

* * *

Buhara wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

'It's good!'

It was disgusting to see Buhara eat. He had literally inhaled seventy giant pigs; the weight would equal to more than his body mass. However, it was even more disgusting for Kuroroze to see that 70 participants had passed. The Hunter Association was losing its touch.

* * *

_God was furious. He was outraged at the people's ways. And therefore, t__hat sorrowful day, on which will arise from the burning coals guilty Man to be judged. The next day, a mysterious fire rushed the city. No soul was spared. It was as if there was no city to begin with. Only traces of rubble remained. __Fifty years later, another rose bloomed, in the exact same place. However, its petals were dyed a reddish-pink, and its stems and leaves were coloured black. It became known as Kuroroze, one which has been poisoned by darkness. And so the cursed flower was born from the people's darkened heart._

_

* * *

_

The sound of a gong vibrated the air and Menchi began announcing her order for phrase two of the test.

'Second round, phrase two…here's my order…I want sushi!'

: Heylo, my beautiful readers and reviewers. I've hoped you've enjoyed SH so far. Just a short message, the next chapter will be a omake-styled writing by xXxTsuki on the second phrase of the cooking test. That's right, bring it on, sushi! (o3o)


	6. Sushi's never been so Fierce Omake

Synthetic Hearts

Chapter 5~

Sushi's Never been so Fierce

Tsuki: I guess it is common knowledge that the author usually doesn't step into the story and interact with the characters, but hey! Why not? Anyway, follow me, I'll take you to the –

*stampede of examinees rushes past*

Tsuki: There you go. You've just experienced first-hand the feel of the hunter exam. The beginning stages anyway.

*stampede returns with pork*

Tsuki: Ah. Let's go visit our main characters now they've completed the first part of the second test.

* * *

Jazz was feeling good and irritated at the same time. Sure, he knew what that examiner was talking about – he was born in Japan for god's sake, of course he'd have eaten it at least once. But then again, in the field of cooking … he was about as useful as a dead slug. Not very useful. _I should at least get fish. It's not like they're going to magically appear on the table –_

As soon as he thought that, everybody in the hall started sprinting out. Jazz considered looking for fish himself but decided not to, instead leaning against one of the tables, sitting on the ground. _Why get fish when others can do it for you?_ He was aware of the examiners' gaze – after all, he was the only examinee left in the hall. Who else was there to look at?

He didn't have to wait long. Examinees were soon running back into the hall – reaching for knives to madly stab the newly-caught fish.

-BAM-BAM-

Jazz had tossed two of the kitchen knives at the nearest examinee. The hilts of the two knives hit the examinee in two places – one on the side of his head, while the other had taken a slight curve and hit the crotch area. Jazz was laughing uncontrollably as relieved the writhing examinee of the fish. _I never knew my aim was THAT good._

_

* * *

_

Tsuki: Ah. I guess Jazz is having fun.

*suddenly ducks before knife slices head off*

Tsuki: I imagine Kuroroze isn't very fond of my presence – after all, with me not being her creator and all … heck, is she even fond of ? Or maybe she hates me 'cos I'm the one who unleashed Jazz onto her? Geez – CAN YOU STOP THROWING KNIVES AT ME ALREADY?

*ducks another knife*

Tsuki: Guess not.

* * *

Kuroroze returned to the current task at hand after dealing with _that_ distraction. She slammed the fish onto the table – both were of rather massive size, so she had ample materials to experiment with. The problem was that even though she knew it was fish-related food, she didn't know what it was supposed to be. _Perhaps … they are testing our ability to adapt to situations – like; if we were to assassinate somebody in this situation …_ It was inevitable that her mind would turn to rather dark thoughts – of killing.

Tsuki: I can't believe this. I didn't know Kuroroze was this dumb.

*Nokia N97 plays Last Night, Good Night intro*

Tsuki: Ah, who's this?

**From: **

**Kuroroze, whom is directing Roze's mind right now, has a host body with little intelligence of this world. She has yet to control herself properly, that is the 'more normal' way~**

Tsuki: Oh. Either way, that makes her kind of dumb.

*ducks thrown knife*

Tsuki: At this rate, my reflexes are going to improve massively.

* * *

Kuroroze stepped forward, plate born aloft. The confident expression on her features was enough for one to make the assumption that she had – or at least, she believed, that she had created sushi. She lifted the lid, presenting her masterpiece …

Tsuki: OMG.

It was a freakish work of art. The rice was rectangular in shape and had a set of poison-tipped spikes on one side. Although impossible to see, inside was fish meat – albeit poisoned fish meat. Naturally, it was thrown high into the sky and never seen again.

Tsuki: *laughs madly*

* * *

Jazz was feeling really bad. He felt like a total failure. For the first time in a long time. _I'm pathetic. I should seriously learn how to cook._ He sighed as he studied the rice. _Using the hands?_ He found the idea somewhat gross, but at the same time, decided to turn on the "common sense" switch. _The chef is of course … expected to have clean hands._

Tsuki: I love it when Jazz is stupid.

*jumps over invisible nen string*

Tsuki: I AM YOUR CREATOR!

*dodges second attack*

Tsuki: I give up. My OC is too powerful.

* * *

Jazz grinned as he stood up from his workstation, masterpiece in hand. He took one step forward before he heard the examiner yell out for the test to stop. "Shit."

Tsuki: *scribbling in a notebook* I LOVE THIS CHAPTER!

* * *

A/N: Omakes have always been difficult to WRITE. They're originally intended for manga, so naturally, images would have to accompany the words. However, seeing as this is a work-dominated, etc, etc, you know … I've decided to add myself as a type of commentator XD I apologize for the wait – Tsuki went on a cadet bivouac in the weekend when the chapter was SUPPOSED to be finished. So yes, late, but thank you very much for waiting and I hoped you enjoyed! And of course, please R/R. ^_^


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